This invention is directed to a mechanical support for a gas discharge device wherein the mechanical support supports an electrode with respect to a housing with a substantial voltage difference thereacross.
Prior to the development of the present mechanical support, the support in such devices as the crossed-field tube, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,641,384, and 3,678,289, as well as plasma cathode electron guns, see U.S. Pat. No. 3,831,052, was provided solely by the electrical feedthrough. This feedthrough was generally a relatively large component which incorporated a ceramic assembly as the mechanical support and electrical insulator. Additional mechanical support for an electrode with respect to a housing is often advantageous. In the case of the crossed-field tube, the feedthrough ceramic size and the close tolerance requirements can be reduced through use of a second simple support, as described in this specification. Such a support serves to aid in the support and location of the anode with respect to the cathode. In the case of the plasma cathode electron gun, mechanical support is required at each end of the cathode cylinder, when the structure is of substantial length. The present drawings show this invention in that environment.
A certain amount of study on the problem of the juncture between a ceramic insulator post and an electrode was done by Schoenhuber and published in IEEE Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems, Vol. 88, page 100, in 1969.